Letter from the Rector
November 2008
Greetings! In this issue of the Pathfinder, in addition to news about the ongoing mission of All Souls Parish, we are exploring how we will ensure that the ministry we engage in is healthy, safe and life-giving. Much of this work has been ongoing, as our Associate Rector, the Rev. Kristin Krantz has been working diligently with our Children and Youth Committee in regards to our training, policies and procedures. In addition, for the past year or so the Diocese of California has been preparing documents to guide our common life, and a few weeks ago the culmination of many, many hours of work arrived in the form of, “Called to Right Relationship.”
C2RR (found at http://www.diocal.org), as it is becoming known, is a comprehensive look at how we can provide safe space for all at All Souls, especially those most vulnerable: children, youth, dependent adults and elders. Kristin, our Senior Warden Marilyn Flood, and I have been absorbing the material and beginning to fit it to our context and ministry. Again, because of ongoing work with our children and youth, what the Diocese has provided us with will augment what is already happening as well as change some of our practices. Some of the shifts in how we provide safe space at All Souls will be in off-site practices with our youth program and the training provided for those who work with children and youth, much of which is addressed in Kristin’s article.
Other changes in our policies or practices are around the physical plant, and our responsibility to the safety of all who enter it. Since our facility is used nearly every day of the year, between worship and church ministries, the Hearts Leap preschool, and outside groups, we have come to realize that additional safety measures are necessary. To that end, in addition to our code lock, a redundant deadbolt will be added to the parking lot door, limiting access to the building outside of working hours to those without a key. Those within All Souls that are leaders of ministries (we’ve identified around 70 thus far) will have keys to the building and, because of this responsibility, will take part in online training for child abuse prevention and undergo a public records background check. Marilyn Flood is leading this effort with Tom Reilly, Gloria Bayne and Kim Wong and her article about this aspect of Called to Right Relationship can be found in this issue of the Pathfinder.
To address these and other changes that will be coming in the next few months we will be holding a forum following the 10:00 a.m. service on November 16th. Thank you in advance for your support of this effort as we put these practices into our daily and weekly lives (as well as seeing how they really work during our yearly self audits) in order to provide the safe and secure environment that our children, youth, dependent adults and elders need. As always, please approach me, Kristin or Marilyn with any questions or concerns.
Peace,
Phil+
